The Collegian  ONLINE
         April 28, 2008

matthew lerma/collegian

Sea Turtle Inc. volunteer and Professor Emeritus of Health and Human Performance Judy Walton shows graduate student Fernando Ruiz the different types of turtles the organization houses.

Have you ever considered adopting an ocelot?

If you have, you should have stopped by the fourth annual Earth Day event held in SET-B.

The event had henna tattoos and booths from local organizations, including the Adopt-an-Ocelot Program, Valley Proud Environmental Council, the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and Sanctuary and the World Birding Center.

Judy Walton, professor emeritus of Health and Human Performance and a volunteer at Sea Turtle Inc., a hospital that rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles, brought models of four species of sea turtles, skulls, models of their nests and examples of trash that could harm the turtles and other wildlife.

“The students are the people who populate the beach right now,” Walton said. “They’ll get married, have kids, their children will grow up and they’ll be the stewards of the environment, so the more people that we can make aware of the necessity of protecting our environment, the better off we are.”

 Oscar Abraham Sosa, first vice president of the Gorgas Science Society, said the event informs students “that there are volunteer opportunities out there and that they can get involved in this, environmental education and conservation.”

Sosa said the organizations at the event are dedicated to environmental education and conservation.

“By students helping them out, first of all, they gain experience in their field, if they are environmental science majors, if they’re planning on doing something related to this. And, second of all, it’s good for them, for their résumé, to have these activities.”

The event also featured a contest that asked students to create a piece of artwork using recyclable or reusable materials. Sophomore art education major Lydia Blanchard won first place and received an acoustic guitar from Dave’s Music Center. Blanchard said it was ironic that she won a guitar, considering her entry was a guitar constructed out of cardboard and wooden clothes hangers. She said she worked on the project for eight to 10 hours.

“Once I get going, there’s no stopping me,” Blanchard said.

Bob Cornelison, executive director of the Port Isabel and San Benito Navigation District, and Biological Sciences Professor Genaro Lopez presented lectures as part of the observance. Cornelison spoke on “Deepwater Oil Could Change the Valley’s Economy.” Lopez’s lecture was titled “The Impact of the End of Oil.”

Freshman biology major Yazmin Vela and freshman English major Joe Pereyra both attended the event and said they enjoyed the sea turtle exhibit.

Asked what they thought of the event, Pereyra replied, “It’s been really great, really informative.”